Add This to Your Morning Mug for Whiter Teeth

Tea drinkers have long been divided over whether to add milk. But a new study proves that the perfect cup has a splash of dairy — because that will keep your teeth from being tarnished.

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"Tea is the second most consumed drink in the world, and the way it's processed affects how teeth are stained," Dr. Ava Chow from the University of Alberta's School of Dentistry, the leader of the study, said in a statement.

 "But we've found that the addition of milk to tea reduces the tea's ability to stain teeth."

For the study, published in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene, Chow and her team placed extracted human teeth in solutions of tea with or without milk. After 24 hours, they removed them and checked the color again.

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Dentists have long cautioned against excessive coffee or tea consumption because it stains or strips enamel. This is because the dark tannins, which add bitterness to the drink, also leave a residue on teeth. But the researchers found casein, the main protein in milk, attaches to tannins and prevents staining. (Coffee also contains small amounts of tannins, though this study only tested tea.)

Need even more of reason to add milk? Dairy's impact on color change, says Chow, is even more effective than bleaching products and whitening toothpastes. So try a splash. Your pearly whites will thank you.

[via The Telegraph]
Photo by Getty + Knape